Metal wood golf club striking plate with anisotropic materials and magnetic materials

ABSTRACT

A hybrid golf club face comprising: a surface having a metallic outer surface with an anisotropic composite material affixed to the inside of a metal wood head section in such an orientation to provide a restated hitting characteristic.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to the field of golf clubs. Inparticular, the present invention discloses a metal wood golf clubutilizing composite anisotropic materials bonded or co-molded to aninterior surface of a golf club striking head in order to achieve oralter a preset coefficient of restitution (COR).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Coefficient of Restitution, or “COR,” relates to the energy transferthat occurs when one object collides with another. In terms of golfclubs, COR is directly related to the speed of a golf ball as itrebounds from a clubface. Generally, a club with higher COR willgenerate greater ball velocity, equaling more distance.

COR is expressed as a percentage. To measure a club's COR, balls arefired at a clubface at a fixed speed, known as initial speed. The speedat which the balls rebound is known as rebound speed. The COR isgenerally equal to the rebound speed divided by the initial speed. Forexample, if the initial speed is 100 mph, and the rebound speed is 84mph, the COR would be approximately 0.840. The Rules of Golf maintainedby the USGA limits the COR on driving clubs to 0.830.

In terms of distance, a player with a swing speed from 100 to 120 mphshould gain about two yards for every one percent increase in COR.Players with slower swing speeds will generally gain less yardage.

Maximizing the area of 0.830 COR and remaining within the constraintsset forth by of the USGA has long been the principal goal of golf clubmanufacturers. Golf head manufacturers and developers have long sincehad to contend with appropriate mix of materials and constructions tomaximize the 0.830 COR zone. Golf club heads have been constructed froma wide variety of materials over the years. A number of patents haveissued in the area of golf clubs.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,374 discloses a golf club shaft formed partially ofan anisotropic material such that a fibrous angle of the anisotropicmaterial and/or an orientation angle thereof is differentiated fromother portions thereof partly in the circumferential direction of thegolf club shaft and in at least one portion in a thickness directionthereof to deviate a principal elastic axis of the golf club shaft and aprincipal geometrical axis thereof from each other. When a planeparallel with an intersection line formed by the intersection of a frontface of a club head and a horizontal plane and including the principalgeometrical axis of the golf club shaft is set as a specified plane, theprincipal elastic axis of the golf club shaft is so positioned that aplane including the principal elastic axis and the principal geometricalaxis intersect with the specified plane at an intersection angle of 45degrees-90 degrees, with a region of 200 mm of the golf club shaft withrespect to an end at a grip side thereof fixed.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,007 discloses a golf club head provided with ahitting face and a body. The face has a central zone and an intermediatezone adjacent and surrounding the central zone. The central zone has afirst flexural stiffness and the intermediate zone has a second flexuralstiffness. The club head face is configured and dimensioned such thatthe first flexural stiffness is significantly greater than the secondflexural stiffness such that upon ball impact with the face, theintermediate zone exhibits substantial deformation so that the centralzone moves into the club head. At the same time, the central zoneexhibits minimal deformation so that it moves into and out of the clubhead as a unit. Furthermore, the face exhibits a high coefficient ofrestitution.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,546 discloses a pitch-type carbon fiber made from apitch having a glass transition temperature width of at most 40 degreesC. as measured by a differential scanning calorimeter, a proportion ofthe optically anisotropic phase of at least 10% by volume, and aquinoline-insoluble content of at most 5% by weight, as a spinning rawmaterial pitch.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,440,008 discloses golf club having a club head with astriking plate composed of a composite material and having a thicknessin the range of 0.010 to 0.250 inches is disclosed herein. The golf clubhead also has a coefficient of restitution greater than 0.8 under testconditions such as the USGA test conditions specified pursuant to Rule4-1e, Appendix II, of the Rules of Golf for 1998-1999. The golf clubhead body is also composed of a composite material, and a weight stripis placed within a ribbon of the body.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,473 discloses a plate-like carbon fiber-reinforcedcomposite material comprising carbon fibers, wherein that the carbonfibers have a strain at compressive break of 1.7 to 5%, a tensileelastic modulus of 5 to 160 GPa, and a density of 1.5 to 1.9 g/cm³ andfurther in that the composite comprising said carbon fibers cause nodelamination by an impact energy of less than 1.4 J/mm in the test ofcompression after impact in accordance with JIS K 7089.

U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0048022 discloses a method towardsconstruction and advantages of improved wavy composite structures madefrom wavy composite, unidirectional composites, and damping materials isrevealed. By combining wavy composite laminae in various waveforms,offsets, angular orientations and material combinations, it is possibleto provide axial, torsion, or shear properties equivalent tounidirectional materials but without the limitations related to fiberdiscontinuity, labor costs for fabrication, and weakness at seams wherelaminates overlap. By combining wavy composite layers withunidirectional crossplies, or by using woven mats with various fillfiber levels where the warp fibers are sinuously arranged, improvedstrength and damping is possible. Several examples of both wavy crossplylaminates and unidirectional crossply laminates are analyzed andcompared.

While there have been previous attempts at maximizing the COR of golfclubs within regulation, those solutions have been directed toincorporating added materials such as forged titanium and weights in theclub head, including the use of cone technologies. Those technologieshave been complicated and expensive. Moreover, all have relied upon theuse of isotropic materials. Isotropic materials produce equal propertiesin all planes of reference.

There is a long felt need for a golf club head which can maximize aclub's 0.830 COR zone at the legal limit without adding undue weight tothe club head. The use of anisotropic materials such as graphite wouldimprove club performance.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a metal wood golfclub head which incorporates anisotropic materials and fibers.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a golf clubhead in which the use of anisotropic fibers maximize the COR zone of theclub head.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a golf club head inwhich the COR can be varied and tuned.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from thedetailed description which follows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, a hybrid golf club face comprising: aninterior striking surface having an anisotropic composite materialaffixed thereto in such an orientation to provide a preset hittingcharacteristic.

In a further embodiment, a hybrid golf club face comprising: a shapedanisotropic reinforced material affixed to the interior of the strikingarea of a metal wood golf club head; the orientation of the shaped andanisotropic material determining the coefficient of restitution and thesize of the optimal striking COR zone of the club head.

In still a further embodiment, the invention is an anisotropic metalwood to meet a preset coefficient of restitution; a composite layeraffixed to the interior of the club striking surface comprising aplurality of anisotropic graphite fibers positioned and oriented so asto provide a level of rigidity such that the coefficient of restitutioncan be preset. In preferred embodiment, the anisotropic material is aplurality of graphite fibers, and are embedded within a resin.

In yet another embodiment, the invention is an anisotropic metal wood tomeet a preset coefficient of restitution; a composite layer affixed tothe interior of the club striking surface comprising a plurality ofanisotropic graphite fibers positioned and oriented so as to provide alevel of rigidity such that the coefficient of restitution can bepreset.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the anisotropic material affixed with a clubface.

FIG. 4 is an overhead view of the resin and fibers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is described with reference to the encloseddetailed embodiment, wherein the same numbers are used. In particular,the present invention is directed to improved metal wood clubs whichincorporate a composite, reinforced build up of an anisotropic fibermaterial such as graphite.

Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention comprises a hybrid golf clubface 10 comprising an anisotropic material such as fiber and graphite 12affixed as an insert in the resin. The fibers and graphite are affixedto the inside club face 16.

The graphite crystal is one of the most anisotropic (meaning exhibitingproperties with different values when measured along axes in differentdirections) bodies known. Anisotropy is the direct result of the layeredstructure with extremely strong carbon-carbon bonds in the basal plane.Properties of graphite crystals illustrating this anisotropy are shownin Table 1. Of particular interest for the electronics cooling market isthe very high basal plane thermal conductivity (˜2000 W/mK) achievablein single crystal graphite. TABLE 1 Properties of Graphite Crystals atRoom Temperature Property Value in Basal Plane Value Across Basal PlaneResistivity · m 0.40 ˜60 Elastic Modulus GPa 1020 36.5 Tensile Strength(est.) GPa 96 34 Thermal Conductivity W/mK ˜2000 10 Thermal Expansion oC− 1 −0.5 × 10−6   27 × 10−6

The anisotropy of the single crystal is carried over in the propertiesof commercial graphite materials to varying degrees. Graphites can bemade with a very wide range of properties and degree of anisotropydepending on the selection of raw materials and processing.

Referring to the FIG. 4, the present invention is directed to acomposite build up of an anisotropic fiber 12 such as graphite embeddedwith a resin 15. The fibers 12 and resin 15 is preferably a polymer andbonded or affixed to the inside of the club face 16 as shown in FIG. 3.The bonded material is anisotropic and is set in a preset orientationand thickness in order to maximize the tensile structure of the fibers.In this way, the rigidity of the club face and its COR can be preciselyaltered.

By varying the orientation of the direction of the fibers 12, the CORcan be varied. The fibers provide a high tensile strength in a firstdirection. For this reason, the club head will exhibit the appropriatestiffness and COR.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the composite material of the invention canbe affixed the club head in a variety of shapes and configurations. Thecritical element is that the fibers be placed at a position with aproper orientation to maximize the size of the spot having a 0.830 COR.The resin/fiber matrix material can have a plurality of thicknesses, canhave a plurality of fibers and can be placed in multiple locations.

The present invention has been described with reference to the enclosedfigures and detailed description It is to be appreciated that the truenature and scope of the present invention is to be determined withreference to the claims appended hereto.

1. A hybrid golf club face comprising: an interior striking surfacehaving an anisotropic composite material affixed thereto in such anorientation to provide a preset hitting characteristic.
 2. A hybrid golfclub face comprising: a shaped anisotropic reinforced material affixedto the interior metal wood golf club head; the orientation of the shapedand anisotropic material determining the coefficient of restitution ofthe club head.
 3. The hybrid golf club of claim 1 wherein the golf clubis a metal wood type club.
 4. An anisotropic metal wood to meet a presetcoefficient of restitution; a composite layer affixed to the interior ofthe club striking surface comprising a plurality of anisotropic graphitefibers positioned and oriented so as to provide a level of rigidity suchthat the coefficient of restitution can be preset.
 5. The anisotropicmetal wood of claim 4 wherein the anisotropic material is a plurality ofgraphite fibers.
 6. The anisotropic metal wood of claim 4 wherein thegraphite fibers are embedded within a resin.
 7. An anisotropic metalwood to meet a preset coefficient of restitution; a composite layeraffixed to the interior of the club striking surface comprising aplurality of anisotropic graphite fibers positioned and oriented so asto provide a level of rigidity such that the coefficient of restitutioncan be preset.